September’s issue of Game Developer finishes off with an article entitled “Successful Outsourcing.” Chock full of outsourcing goodness, it’s a great read for anyone who outsources content of any kind. The article’s writer, David Lee, even pulls out five rules to follow in outsourcing that are so obvious, a developer could forget them.

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An internal speed test on, say, quest design would be relatively easy for a developer to establish. However, for games that have no on-staff writer/designers and have no concept of story development, time estimates can be wildly off-base. In this case, be prepared to work with a writer experienced enough to give you a realistic speed test.

2. Failing to budget for delays. Projects often take longer than you expect.

Realize that even with a reliable contractor, internal delays can impact your outsourcing budget as well. On one project, while we turned our material in on time, the project itself took much longer than originally contracted. We had to wait longer and longer to get the greenlight to continue our work, and the delays added to the budget.

Ready to find out all 5 obvious mistakes in outsourcing? Stay tuned for the remaining three!

Guess that game dialog! Today’s line: “Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you–they are wrong.” Check back next week to find out where it’s from.